Small painting jobs, such as painting of a room in a residence by a homeowner or hired painter frequently leave part of a can of paint left over which one may desire to use at some later time, for example weeks or months later. Also, a can (quart or gallon) of paint is occasionally purchased and it is subsequently found that the painting job must be delayed for unanticipated reasons. In either instance, when later the marketing can is opened for use, the paint is not in condition for painting, but rather requires stirring to mix components which have become stratified, heavy components typically sinking to the bottom of the container in the heavy, thick sludgelike manner.
In the past it has been common for the homeowner or painter to stir the stratified paint in the can with a hand paddle, but this is a time consuming, wearying chore which often leaves the paint imperfectly mixed. Stirring devices, for example in the form of a multibladed propeller or the like have been marketed to be driven by a portable hand electric drill for stirring of paint, but such devices have not been entirely satisfactory. Often such devices are merely chucked in the electric drill and are guided entirely by hand within the paint container, without any form of cover interposed between the stirred paint and the person handling the drill. This may result in splashing of paint upon the user, requires some degree of effort and skill to hold and maneuver the drill while stirring, and often leaves portions of the paint and paint sludge in the container unstirred due to failure of the stirring device to be placed in some locations within the can.
Other prior stirring devices have employed supports for the stirring member. However, these have often overly complex and expensive and/or difficult to assemble or clean or operate.
Accordingly, the objects and purposes of this invention include provision of a paint stirrer, drivable by an electric drill, for stirring of paint in the marketing can or container in which it is sold, which protects the user against splashing, which stirs paint and paint sediment close to the walls and bottom of a paint marketing can, which is sized to fit closely a standard sized conventional paint marketing can, which is capable of being shipped flat and yet readily assembled by unskilled persons in a single assembly operation without tools or with only a common pair of pliers, which in inexpensive to manufacture and does not require complex manufacturing facilities, and which is easily disassembled for replacement of parts.
Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with apparatus of this kind upon reviewing the accompanying drawings and reading the following specification.
The objects and purposes of this invention are met by providing a stirrer for paint in a conventional paint marketing can of a kind normally closed for sale by a lid. The stirrer includes a second lid substitutable on the can for the marketing lid having a central opening. A stirring rod assembly is securable on the second lid. The assembly includes a bushing element having a reduced diameter externally threaded end rising from a shoulder. The bushing includes a central through bore. The second lid opening is of diameter to snugly receive the threaded bushing upper end therethrough but not the shoulder. The stirring rod has an upstanding shank extending upward through the bushing. The rod has radially widened upper and lower portions closely flanking the upper and lower ends of the bushing for axially locating the shank in the bushing. The rod has a bottom portion depending from the shank and sized to lie close to the can peripheral wall and bottom for stirring paint in the can. A nut is threadable on the threaded bushing end to clamp the lid against the shoulder of the bushing.